A 15-year-old is facing murder charges after allegedly fatally stabbing another teenager on the campus of Ohio State University, according to reports.
The teen, whose identity has not been released, was playing with his friends on the turf fields behind Lincoln Tower on the university’s campus around 7:45 p.m. on Friday when another group came onto the field — sparking a confrontation, according to 10WBNS.
The teen then allegedly brandished a knife and stabbed 19-year-old Guilliani “Gio” Olguin Jacinto in the chest, authorities said.
“The youth produced a knife, stabbed the victim in the chest, and fled the area,” prosecutor Lukas Bachus said, according to the outlet.
Jacinto later died of his injuries.
University police stopped a vehicle just five minutes after the stabbing and took the teen into custody, the news station reported.
“While in custody, the youth voluntarily stated to the officers he brought the knife and stabbed the victim. He also admitted to disposing of the knife after the stabbing but prior to the fleeing,” Bachus said.
Neither the suspect nor the victim was affiliated with the university, though the stabbing marks the first homicide on Ohio State’s campus since 2010.
The teen’s defense attorney claimed the stabbing was an act of self-defense and alleged video footage captured his client being attacked before the knifing.
“I have seen one video already where it appears my client and his friends are being attacked in the video, and then my client is running from the attackers,” attorney Brian Joslyn told the outlet.
Some students claimed they grew confused after learning about the stabbing through social media instead of their campus alert system.
“We were a little surprised that we did not get a Buckeye Alert or the school didn’t reach out to us, and we found out through a Snapchat story,” freshman Kayla Bollinger told the outlet.
Prosecutors have requested that the youngster be tried as an adult, but he is currently being held at a juvenile detention center before his next court appearance.
